A conference committee of House and Senate legislators agreed to a measure that allows BRT projects to use separate lanes but requires the legislature to sign off on such projects, even if they don't require any state funding. The agreement would let the General Assembly block The Amp and similar projects, but it would not dictate how they can be designed.

Separate lanes are seen as critical to The Amp, which would use center lanes to transport passengers along a 7.1-mile route through the downtown from West Nashville to East Nashville.

"The good news is that the legislation to stop the Amp did not succeed," Mayor Karl Dean said in a statement. "The new bill allows us to keep moving forward with the Amp, and that is what we're going to do. We will work in close partnership with our new Citizens Advisory Committee, and we are committed to designing the best possible transit system for our city.

"We understand the Amp will be competing with many other projects for state funding, so we will continue to work closely with TDOT and the General Assembly in the coming months. I want to thank Nashvillians for speaking up and writing letters in support of the Amp. Their voices were instrumental in showing support for transit in our city and throughout the Middle Tennessee region. We still have more work to do, and I encourage them to stay involved."